Saturday, December 5, 2009

Food and the Palagi Ward

Since moving to Charlotte, I have had to adjust my mindset when it comes to refreshments at a ward event.

When I first got here in 2007, my cousin invited us to her annual ward luau. We were warned by Rachel that the palagis don't do food like we do in Hawaii. Store bought cookies and some tap water in a pitcher was what was usually on the menu.
We went to the luau, but stopped off at Panera Bread first to grab some sandwiches so our growling stomachs wouldn't give us away. Surprise, surprise. There was actually plenty of food. So much, there was food to take home. The next day, we went to the fireside/thank you dinner. I came hungry expecting the same abundance of food. Surprise, surprise. There was only enough for firsts.
My ward had yet to impress me with an abundance of food. Even the Relief Society activities here, usually an oasis of homemade goodies in Hawaii, are more often than not populated by plastic containers stuffed with store bought baked goods. Um, yuck.
So last night, I downed two sandwiches in expectation of a meager spread, and the ward surprised me. We had lots of food. A simple menu, but lots of it. The ham was tasty, the greenbean casserole creamy and good, the fruit salad delicious, the rolls tender and moist, the sweet potatoes crunchy and sweet. All in all, I had two servings and some to take home.
This ward has stepped up it's game. Right on.

0 comments: